Beginnings
by Ageless Writer
Summary: Baltimore Detective Hale has just ran upon her umpteenth crime scene, this one having a Petty Officer as the victim. So, as advised, she calls in NCIS. Will she be able to keep them from taking her scene over, or will she just stand back and watch as they take charge? T for safety, eventual GibbsxOFC. Don't like, don't read.
1. Prologue

**Prologue:**

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything but my own original characters, such as Courtney Hale and her team. Everything and everyone else belongs to CBS, and more specifically, to Bellisarious. Thank you for reading this.**

Detective Courtney Hale had arrived at the crime scene along with her "team". She walked up to her teammates, Detectives Ryan Randy, Jade Halogen, and Damion Yang. "Okay guys. Let's split this up until Trisha and Amanda get here to look at the body. Damion, you and Ryan start bagging up evidence and drawing up sketches until CSU arrives. Jade, you take photos and assist in the crime scene tape. I'm gonna go ahead and start doing the measurements."the brunette delegated. The others nodded and began to work on their assignments, at least, until their Medical Examiner, ME, Trisha Ederwood arrived.

"The traffic was awful... And without Amanda here to help me with the map, I kept getting lost. It was no fun whatsoever..."the elderly woman began to complain. Courtney chuckled.

"Easy there Trish, you'll make us all wanna break for cover if you keep complaining like that."the younger woman spoke. Trisha sighed.

"Yes well, the traffic could relax up some. After all, I have a dead body to connect with..."Trisha responded, walking up to the scene. She gestured to the woman laying face down, her hair splayed about. "I take it she is the deceased..."the elder woman spoke. Jade nodded.

"You take it right Trisha... We haven't touched the body at all, waiting for you... Especially since we all know what happened the last time someone touched one of your bodies..."the black haired woman spoke. Damion looked up at Jade from the piece of cloth he found.

"I don't. What happened to them?"the younger man asked, confused and curious. Ryan smirked.

"Can I tell him Courtney, or would it take too much focus away from the job?"he asked. Courtney shrugged.

"I'm not your boss, nor are you my property. However if you do anything to screw us over on this case, I will bury you. Understood?"Courtney asked. Ryan gulped.

"Crystal clear, Hale."he answered, walking over to Damion. "I'll tell you later, when my life isn't in jeopardy."Ryan whispered to his Japanese partner, going back over the crime scene. Courtney smirked at the men and walked over to Trisha who had turned the body over so she could see the woman's face. The woman had a beautiful face, oval shaped, green eye, her hair blonde. Petite. '_Who would do something like this?_' Courtney wondered to herself, looking the woman over.

"What do you think happened Trish?"the brunette woman asked. The ME sighed.

"If I had to guess... I'd say this cut across her throat was what killed her. However, these marks on her arms and hands tell me that she fought back... So I'd say she fought back, hard, during this attack."Trisha explained. Courtney nodded, taking it all in.

"Anything else?"she asked. Trisha looked the body over once more before swearing.

"I think we need to call NCIS..."Trisha answered. Detective Hale looked at her, confused.

"How come Trish?"she asked. Trisha held up her hand, in it she held up dog tags.

"This is why. These dog tags are Navy issued, they even have her name, Petty Officer Donna Reed. I'm sure NCIS would appreciate the call..."Trisha answered. Courtney nodded and pulled out her phone.

"Yeah. Gibbs."the gruff voice came up on the line.

"Hello... This is Baltimore Detective Hale. We have a dead Naval Officer here. Thought you might like the call. My team and ME are already on scene, ready to cooperate, but we are not pushovers, just to make that clear."Detective Hale spoke. She could swear that she heard the other voice on the line chuckling softly.

"Alright Detective, my team and I will be there ASAP. See you then."the Gibbs guy spoke, hanging up. Courtney smirked and walked over to her ME.

"We're gonna wait on NCIS to get here. Hopefully they'll be here soon and will be cooperative."the younger woman told her team. Trisha smirked.

"I'm sure it'll all be alright... If all goes well, we'll be done in time for a long weekend."Trisha responded. Jade swore.

"Great. You just got us jinxed Trish... Now this case will take forever to finish..."the black haired woman complained. Ryan smirked.

"Thought you didn't believe in that kinda thing Jade."the blond man retorted. Jade glared playfully.

"Shut up! I believe in it if it distracts me from a long weekend."Jade quipped. Courtney carefully hit both of them on the back of the head.

"Both of you. Shut up! We need to wait for NCIS, and when they get here, we need to be able to work together so they don't completely take over our investigation.. Got it?"the shorter woman spoke. Both detectives agreed and went back to the job the were assigned, trying to keep from arguing further. Courtney sighed. '_Wonder how much longer it'll be before I decide to just shoot them?_'she wondered, mainly to keep herself in check, to vent privately. She loved her team, but they could be such a pain sometimes...


	2. Chapter One: Meeting

**Chapter One: Meeting**

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything but my own original characters, such as Courtney Hale and her team. Everything and everyone else belongs to CBS, and more specifically, to Bellisarious. Thank you for reading this.**

Courtney waited with her team until they saw a van pull up. It was white with blue lettering, NCIS, on the side. She walked over to the van, going to meet the team that pulled up. A brunet man got out of the passenger side, followed by a shorter woman with curly brown hair and tanned skin. A man with silver hair got out of the driver's side, and a blondish man came from the back. She walked up to them. "My team and I have went over every inch of the crime scene. We have everything worth considering evidence in an evidence bag. Our ME went over the body already, she thinks it could be the slash to her throat that killed her. Nothing stolen, so it wasn't a robbery."Courtney told them, going ahead and answering the questions she knew they would ask.

The silver haired one nodded. "Thanks. I take it you're Detective Hale? The one I spoke with?"he asked. She smirked.

"Yes Sir. And you're Gibbs? Right?"she asked, recognizing the voice she heard over the phone. The silver haired man nodded.

"That's right"he answered. Courtney glanced over his team and noticed that the brunet man was familiar. She smirked.

"Tony? That you? I remember hearing a rumor you went to the Navy. Didn't peg you for the type though."the brunette woman smirked. Tony chuckled.

"I thought that was you Courtney. And yeah... I like the Navy though... Hey. I heard about Samson... I'm sorry... I know he was your partner for like... Ever..."Tony spoke. Courtney sighed.

"Well... It was his time... He was kinda old anyway... At least he went peacefully and without pain..."the detective spoke. Tony nodded, then noticed Gibbs' questioning look.

"Courtney was part of the K-9 unit in Baltimore when I worked Homicide... Her canine partner was a rough old German Shepard named Samson, Sammie for short. We worked together occasionally if we thought there was a connection in our cases..."Tony explained. Gibbs nodded.

"Well... Now that's out of the way, how about we get to work?"the older man asked. His team started to re-go over the crime scene. Courtney looked at Gibbs.

"Since my ME is already here, I think she should do the autopsy. Your forensic scientist can do the forensics. This way we can share the case like we're supposed to."Courtney spoke. Gibbs looked at her, trying to study her some.

"And what makes you think I wouldn't share the case?"he asked. The young woman smirked at him.

"I know your type Agent Gibbs. Don't play nice with others, doesn't share anything with anyone. Besides, I've heard about you from other Baltimore detectives. You have a tendency to take cases away from the detectives who were originally assigned. I don't let that happen though. Not even with the FBI, ask Agent Sacks."Courtney responded. Gibbs chuckled.

"Alright then Detective, my scientist will do the forensics and your ME can do the autopsy. We'll split fifty-fifty."Gibbs agreed, smiling. She smiled back and walked over to Trisha.

"You're cleared to take the body back to the precinct. You're gonna do the autopsy. Gibbs' forensic specialist will work on the forensics. This way we can both keep our pride's intact and be in control of the operation."the younger woman spoke. Trisha smirked.

"Okay. I'll make my way down then. But how on earth did you get Gibbs to consider?"she asked. Courtney smirked.

"I didn't give him much of a choice Trisha. Besides, it's fair."she answered. Trisha shrugged.

"Guess so... See you after I am acquainted with the deceased..."Trisha spoke, going to her van. Ryan and Damion assisted the elderly woman in placing the body in the van. Gibbs' team had collected what Courtney's team had not, collecting the other evidence from Jade and Ryan. Gibbs walked over to Courtney.

"So Detective Hale. Do we split up from here or...?"he asked, wanting to see what the fiery woman wanted to do. Courtney smiled.

"We go our separate ways for now... When one of us gets something though, we'll let the other know. Got it?"she asked. Gibbs nodded.

"Works for me... See ya around, Detective... Here's my card. Call if you got something."Gibbs spoke, handing her one of his agent cards. She took it and nodded, handing him one in return.

"And here's mine if you get something."she responded. Gibbs smirked and walked off towards his van, thinking he might need to know the fiery woman better. Courtney walked to her car, smiling softly. '_He's gonna be stubborn. I can already tell he and I are not gonna get along that well... Hopefully I won't kill him for a little while..._' Courtney thought as she drove to her precinct...


	3. Chapter Two: Evidence and Research

**Chapter Two: Evidence and Research**

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything but my own original characters, such as Courtney Hale and her team. Everything and everyone else belongs to CBS, and more specifically, to Bellisarious. Thank you for reading this.**

As soon as she got to the precinct, Courtney found herself face to face with the police chief, Benita Morrison. "Heya Beni..."Courtney smiled, greeting the older woman. Benita gave her a look.

"How could you get those NCIS agents involved? You know how much I despise it when we have to involve feds. They either let us do all the hard work and take the credit or take our case out from under us."Benita chastised. The detective rolled her eyes.

"Relax Chief. The NCIS agent Gibbs and I are working together, not around each other or doing anything to screw over the other."the brunette tried to reassure her boss. Benita scowled.

"Oh great. Not only is it NCIS, but we're dealing with Gibbs. Perfect."the chief swore, shaking her head. "Just make sure to keep the paper work clean and the evidence clear, we don't want whoever did this to walk. The narcotics department already made us look like a bunch of rookies. Made one mistake with evidence and a dealer got free. I don't want us to make a similar mistake. Am I clear?"Benita asked. Courtney nodded.

"Yes Ma'am. Don't worry too much though Chief, my team hasn't let you down yet."Courtney agreed, smirking as she started walking off. Benita shook her head.

"True... But it's the 'yet' part I worry about..."Beni muttered, walking to her office. Courtney rolled her eyes, knowing how much Benita worried. The older woman meant well, she was just overly concerned about the department's appearance to the public... '_Like a true politician..._' Courtney thought, getting to her desk.

"Alright guys... The best thing we can do right now while we wait for Trisha's autopsy report is do some digging on Petty Officer Donna Reed. See if you can get anything out of her friends or family members since I'm fairly certain that NCIS will check out her C.O. Someone should go check out her apartment..."Courtney started. Ryan looked at his partner.

"I think I'll go see Tristain... See if we can get anything off Miss Reed's finances..."Ryan spoke. Courtney nodded.

"Okay... I think I'll go check out her apartment, Jade, you in?"the brunette asked. Jade smirked.

"I am so in. You know how much I love to dig around Courtney..."the raven haired woman spoke. Damion sighed.

"And that leaves me to go and talk to the crying family and friends huh?"Damion asked. Courtney looked at Ryan, hoping he'd take the hint.

"Financials aren't that important right now Dame... Think I'll go try and help you with statements... Tristain can look at the finances on his own until Trisha finishes the autopsy..."Ryan responded. Damion smiled.

"Thanks... So... Split?"the Japanese man asked. Courtney nodded.

"You guys report to me what you find. Okay? And be careful. Never know what might happen..."the older detective spoke, going towards the elevator. Jade followed, waving her goodbye to the men on the team...

Gibbs thought about how to best approach this case, as he did all the cases he worked on. He glanced at his team and rose up. "Okay, here's the best way to go about this. Abby is working on the evidence, so in the meantime, Ziva, I want you and McGee to go and talk to the petty officer's C.O and her unit. Call me when you get something. DiNozzo, you're with me."Gibbs called, grabbing his gear.

"On it Boss."Tony called, watching as Ziva and McGee went ahead and left. Gibbs led the Italian-American to the car. "So... When we find something, are we gonna keep it to ourselves or are we gonna let Detective Hale in on it?"he asked. Gibbs started the car and began driving down the road before answering.

"I told her we would share the investigation and even let her take the body as a sign of good faith. I think I'm gonna keep that promise. However all findings go through me first... I may end up keeping the good stuff between NCIS and NCIS only..."Gibbs answered. Tony smirked.

"She's not gonna like that. And I'm telling you Boss, from what I remember about her, she's a real firecracker."the senior field agent spoke. Gibbs chuckled.

"If I can handle being married to Diane, I can handle anything."Gibbs spoke matter of factly, continuing down the road. Tony leaned back.

"So... Where we headed Boss?"the younger man asked, looking at his boss. Gibbs shook his head.

"Thought I taught you to anticipate, DiNozzo... Where do you think we're headed?"Gibbs asked. Tony swore, thinking. Most of the bases of a criminal investigation have been covered... Except for...

"We're going to check out the petty officer's home, aren't we Boss?"Tony asked. Gibbs nodded.

"Good boy. You figured it out."the older agent said, pulling into the apartment complex. "Come on..."they got out of the car and walked into the lobby. "Donna Reed's apartment please?"he asked, showing his badge. "NCIS needs to look inside it."he spoke. The manager looked at him, confused.

"But there was already someone inside... They said they needed to investigate it too..."he spoke. Gibbs looked at Tony and swore.

"Are they still here?"DiNozzo asked. The man nodded and the two federal agents drew their weapons, walking towards the victim's apartment. Tony opened it carefully and the two crept inside.

"You take the left, I'll search right."Gibbs whispered. Tony nodded and went to the left, Gibbs taking the right. That was when he saw who they were after from behind. A woman, no more than about five three at full height, long brunette hair, petite build. He smirked, realizing he'd be enjoying the view if it weren't for the fact she may have been screwing up his victim's apartment.

Gibbs placed his piece on her back. "Don't move. Tell me who you are and what you're doing here."Gibbs spoke. He heard the woman laugh, something he forced himself not to react to.


	4. Chapter Three: Awkward

**Chapter Three: Awkward**

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything but my own original characters, such as Courtney Hale and her team. Everything and everyone else belongs to CBS, and more specifically, to Bellisarious. Thank you for reading this.**

"Agent Gibbs. Nice to see you again."the woman spoke as she turned around, rising up. He swore when he realized who it was.

"Detective Hale... What are you doing here?"he asked the brunette woman, putting his gun back in its holster. She smirked.

"Could ask you the same question since I was here first."Detective Hale retorted. Gibbs rolled his eyes.

"I'm here so we can learn more about Officer Reed's personal life. What about you? Why are you here?"he asked. Courtney gestured to what she found.

"Same. Look, I found her computer. Think if we take it to one of our geeks we could get it fixed? I can't turn it on so maybe one of the geeks can..."Courtney answered. Gibbs thought it over.

"We'll send it to my geek, Agent McGee. He's really good at this stuff..."Gibbs answered. Tony walked in with Jade.

"I guess you realized who was here... Huh Boss?"Tony asked, gesturing to Jade. The black-haired woman scoffed.

"He pulled a gun on me, threatened to shoot me from behind if I made any moves. Took me a few moments to get him to realize we're on the same side."Jade complained. Courtney shook her head.

"This is what we get for joining a case with NCIS, Jade... Just roll with it. Because it will not happen again. Right, Agent Gibbs?"the brunette asked the older agent, a smug look on her face. Gibbs sighed.

"Nope. Not unless your detectives get in my way, Detective Hale."Gibbs quipped. Courtney looked at Jade.

"So... Find anything good before you were attacked?"Courtney asked. Jade smiled.

"I found men's clothing in her drawers, but no pictures of a man. So either NCIS's petty officer was a cross dresser, or she had a... Secret lover."Jade answered. Courtney looked at Tony.

"I found her computer... It's been unplugged or something because I can't make it come on. Gibbs thinks your Agent McGee can fix it and use it. What do you think?"she asked. The Italian-American thought for a moment.

"McGeek can do anything with a computer. He's a genius with them."Tony answered. Courtney nodded.

"So you guys gonna help us canvas the rest of the apartment or leave?"the detective asked. Gibbs smirked.

"Oh no. You're not getting rid of us that easily, Detective."Gibbs answered before turning to Tony. "DiNozzo, go with Jade and search the back rooms. Detective Hale and I will search the front rooms, including the living room and kitchen."Gibbs delegated.

Tony nodded. "Right Boss."he answered, going towards the back rooms. Jade looked at Courtney.

"Courtney...?"she asked, not sure if she should go along with Agent Gibbs' delegation. Courtney nodded.

"Go ahead Jade. I'll work back here."Courtney answered, watching as Jade left with Tony. She turned to Gibbs. "I don't recall giving you permission to boss my partners around, Agent Gibbs."Courtney commented. Gibbs smirked.

"That's because I didn't ask, Detective. Besides, searching our victim's home is much more important than issues with the leadership."Gibbs retorted. Courtney shrugged and went to searching the rest of the apartment.

"Why don't you go search the kitchen while I search the rest of the living room?"the detective asked, looking at Gibbs.

"Alright..."Gibbs answered, going back towards the kitchen. Within thirty minutes, the agents and detectives had went over the apartment thoroughly, collecting the evidence needed.

"So... Who gets to have the evidence tested?"Jade asked. Gibbs looked at Courtney.

"We will take the computer. Our geek is the best out there."the older agent claimed. Courtney shrugged.

"Fine. We get the male clothing though. Tristain'll be able to figure out who they could belong to."the brunette stuck in her claim. Gibbs nodded.

"Works for me. We'll call when we get something if you will.''Gibbs spoke. Courtney nodded.

"Deal. Come on Jade.. We gotta get back to the precinct before the guys start to worry about us..."Courtney spoke, taking some of the clothing. The raven-haired woman followed behind the older detective, smirking at Tony as they left. Gibbs turned to Tony.

"Come on DiNozzo... Time to go... Help me grab that computer..."he said, grabbing some of the parts, the Italian-American helping him out...


	5. Chapter Four: Evidence

**Chapter Four: Evidence**

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything but my own original characters, such as Courtney Hale and her team. Everything and everyone else belongs to CBS, and more specifically, to Bellisarious. Thank you for reading this.**

Gibbs walked into Abby's lab, her music blaring like usual. He turned it down with the remote he found on the desk, causing the gothic scientist to turn around sharply. "GIBBS! You scared me! You sneaky silver-haired fox, you."Abby chastised the old marine, wagging her finger at him. Gibbs chuckled and kissed her cheek fatherly.

"Never again Abs. Okay? So what do ya got?"he asked. Abby grinned.

"The better question here, Gibbs, would be what don't I have? And the answer to that would be nothing. So in an effort to tell you what I do have, pay close attention."Abby started. Gibbs looked at her, giving her his best 'Get on with it.' look. Abby smiled.

"Okay, so Detective Ryan sent over the petty officer's clothes. Which I think was really nice of him... Anyway, I found partial finger prints on the clothes, ones that didn't belong to Petty Officer Reed. He also brought over pictures of the cut on her neck. It's serrated looking, and as nasty as it looks, there was no way the person had medical training. It was a chop job. Although, the cut seemed to have come from some kind of knife like you would find in the kitchen... These are my candidates... Though I'm not sure which is the culprit yet..."Abby spoke, gesturing to a paring knife, a butter knife, and a butcher knife. Gibbs nodded.

"Coincides with what their ME said. That she had fought back and that a knife was used."Gibbs spoke. Abby smiled.

"Guess that would explain the exact same cuts she got on her arms, legs, and hands. You know, why they would match the one on their throat. Anyway, that cloth that Damion found, it's part of some dress... But not any that the petty officer seems to own..."Abby said. She smirked. "You know... If I didn't know better, and if I was a betting person, I'd say that your killer is a woman."Abby spoke. Gibbs kissed her cheek and handed her a CAF-POW!.

"Good work, Abs."Gibbs praised her, starting to leave. Abby called out to him, causing him to turn around. "Yes Abby?"he asked.

"Is she pretty?"the raven-haired woman asked, smiling, her emerald eyes lighting up. Gibbs looked at her, confused.

"Is who pretty?"he asked. Abby rolled her eyes.

"The detective that Tony says you're acting sweet on... He says that you're flirting with one of the detectives. I have to know if she's pretty, or if she's a red-head for that matter."Abby explained. Gibbs rolled his eyes. He was going to end up severely injuring DiNozzo before it was all over with. He just knew it.

"She's okay Abs. I have more pressing matters going on right now... Like a killer on the loose."Gibbs spoke. Abby smirked.

"Didn't stop you before."Abby retorted. Gibbs snorted and walked out, going to Ducky's. He walked into autopsy.

"Got any kind of psycho profile or anything yet Duck?"Gibbs asked. Ducky shook his head and tsked.

"Jethro... Honestly your patience is the worst virtue you have."Ducky answered. Gibbs gave him a look.

"Duck? Do you got anything?"he asked. Ducky sighed.

"Actually... Yes... I do. Your victim was a... Very private person... After looking at the photo albums that you and Anthony so kindly got for me to look at, I can say she is a very private person... And as a private person, she has secrets... Now... Look at this photograph... She doesn't look quite as sad, and yet, she's still alone..."Ducky gestured to the picture. Gibbs looked at it.

"Maybe she just came to terms with herself, Duck... Or... She found that happiness can come from inside...?"Gibbs tried. Ducky snickered. "What's so funny?"Gibbs asked the older man.

"I'm sorry Jethro... Just hearing you saying something about coming to terms with themselves and happiness... It... It's not something one would expect from you..."Ducky explained. Gibbs rolled his eyes.

"Well... I guess I need to see what McGee and Ziva found out from Petty Officer Reed's C.O and fellow troops... Then McGee can get to work on her computer..."Gibbs spoke, starting to leave. Ducky smiled.

"She must be something. You actually have a... Bounce in your step... Or at least... It's somewhat of a bounce..."Ducky commented. Gibbs rolled his eyes.

"Nothing's changed Duck... I gotta job to do, just like always..."Gibbs answered, leaving for the bullpen. He walked in and walked over to McGee and Ziva. "What did you two find out?"he asked.

"She was well liked... Very take charge. Her C.O was very pleased with her performances and her record..."Ziva answered. Gibbs nodded.

"I see... Anything to add McGee?"he asked. The younger agent looked up at his boss.

"Yes, Boss... One of her closer friends, a Petty Officer Colemon... Said that Reed was caught up with her new boyfriend, but wouldn't let anyone meet him... Said it gave her the impression that Reed was with a married man..."McGee answered. Gibbs went to his desk.

"Nice work McGee, Ziva... McGee, Abby has Reed's computer down in the lab. Go fix it."Gibbs commanded. McGee nodded and went to Abby's lab. Gibbs picked up his phone, pulling out Detective Hale's card. He heard a voice on the other line.

"Detective Hale."the voice spoke. He felt himself smile at her voice.

"Hey... Got something you might find interesting... "he began...

"Thanks. I got it."Courtney spoke, hanging up. The information sank into her mind. '_A married man...? Hmmm... Wonder what Trisha found..._'Courtney thought, getting up. "I'm gonna go check on Trisha, see if the autopsy is done... Tell Ryan and Damion to wait up here for me when they get back. Okay?"Courtney spoke to Jade. The black-haired woman nodded.

"Sure thing, Courtney."she answered. Courtney nodded and walked towards the elevator, going into autopsy. She smiled when she saw Trisha cleaning up.

"So... What did you find?"Courtney asked. Trisha sighed.

"Cause of death was a slash to the throat. Severed the trachea. Slow death... It's saddening really... I would wager, if I was a betting person, that the knife that caused this slash, caused the wounds on her arms and legs. Her ribs were crushed, which also indicates she was fighting back before she was killed. Time of death was around midnight and three o'clock last night."Trisha explained.

Courtney sighed. "Great... So... How come it took so long this time? You usually are really quick about autopsies..."Courtney asked. Trisha sighed.

"Amanda wasn't here to help... But then again... She is sick... Best she stay at home..."Trisha said. Courtney nodded.

"Okay... Just wondering... I think I'm gonna go check on Tristain and see how he's doing..."the younger woman spoke, headed for the doors.

"So... Does he seem nice?"Trisha asked. Courtney turned to her, confused.

"Does who seem nice?"she asked. Trisha rolled her eyes.

"Agent Gibbs. Jade was telling me about how you two were flirting and seemed to be awfully close to each other... I was just wondering..."Trisha smirked. The brunette rolled her eyes.

"He's okay. But then again, this is just a case we're working."Courtney answered, walking towards the forensics lab. She walked in, Tristain hugged her.

"Hey! I bet you're here to see what I got from the clothes. Right?"he asked. Courtney smirked.

"Yeah, kinda. So... Got anything good?"she asked. Tristain smirked.

"Do I got anything good? Do I got anything good? Detective, I got everything good. Come with me, to the land of Tristain's lab. I will show you what I got."Tristain lead her further into his lab, where the clothes were.

"Okay these clothes, definitely belong to a man. And you're never gonna guess who they belong to."Tristain spoke. Courtney gave him a look, causing him to pout. "Just 'cause I said you'd never guess, doesn't mean you shouldn't try..."he responded. She raised an eyebrow and he sighed. "Okay... Okay... I understand... The clothes belong to her C.O, Ensign Walter Yantes."Tristain said. Courtney looked at him.

"I think we just found a motive..."she said, getting on her tiptoes, she kissed his cheek. "Thanks Tristain."Courtney said, leaving for the squad room. Ryan and Damion were there. "Hey guys, what did you guys find out?"she asked. Damion sighed.

"Not much... They just said she was a great woman and that she was really nice."Damion spoke. Ryan looked at Courtney.

"They think she may have been involved with a married man though..."Ryan concluded. Courtney nodded.

"Yeah... I know... Her C.O... Tristain found out it was his clothes in her apartment."Courtney spoke. She picked up her phone, calling the NCIS agent's phone number from his card. "Hey... May have found our motive..."

"Thanks... I'll check with what McGee finds on her computer and call you back. Then you and your detectives can come over here and we can make a game plan about how to go about this... Okay?"Gibbs asked.

"Fine with me. Just try not to get in our way. Got it?"Courtney asked. Gibbs chuckled.

"I got it, Detective."he chuckled, hanging up. He got up and walked down to Abby's lab. "McGee... Got the computer fixed?"he asked. The younger agent and the forensic scientist smiled.

"Yes I have Boss. And you aren't gonna believe this... But..."McGee began.

"She was having an affair with her C.O?"Gibbs asked. McGee pouted.

"Yeah... How did you know...?"the younger agent asked. Gibbs smirked.

"A really good source..."the older man answered. Abby smiled.

"Would that source have brunette hair, blue eyes, wear glasses, and be about 5' 3"?"Abby asked. Gibbs rolled his eyes.

"Nothing happening there Abs. We're working a case."Gibbs answered. He looked at McGee. "Come on... Upstairs... I gotta call to make then we need a game plan..."Gibbs spoke. McGee nodded and started towards the elevators, Gibbs dialed the detective's number. "Yeah... Come on... Bring your detectives..."Gibbs spoke before hanging up. This was going to be a long night if all went well...


	6. Chapter Five: Game Plan

**Chapter Five: Game Plan**

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything but my own original characters, such as Courtney Hale and her team. Everything and everyone else belongs to CBS, and more specifically, to Bellisarious. Thank you for reading this.**

Courtney walked into the NCIS bullpen, her partners right behind her. "Okay, so how do you think we should go about this Agent Gibbs?"she asked, looking at the silver-haired man. Gibbs stood up.

"I think we need to go to the Yantes' house. Question him and his wife both. Abby found a dress, so we need a warrant to search Mrs. Yantes' closet to see if we can find a ripped dress and to see if we can match any of her kitchen knives to the one that cut Reed's throat."Gibbs answered. Courtney turned to Damion.

"See if any of your friends in the legal departments will get us a warrant. Maybe we can get our killer before the night ends..."Courtney instructed. Damion nodded and left for the elevator, headed out. Courtney turned her attention back to Gibbs. "Any other ideas you wanna share?"she asked. Gibbs smirked.

"I was thinking we could bring them in for questioning... In separate interrogation rooms."Gibbs spoke. Courtney looked at him.

"Where is Walter Yantes? If he's still at the camp with his recruits, then me and Jade could go pick him up. Or would you rather we get the wife?"she questioned. Gibbs walked over to her.

"I think DiNozzo and Ziva should handle the C.O. After all, he is Navy, and we are NCIS. You and Jade would be better suited going after the wife. When you bring her here, get her into interrogation one."Gibbs spoke. Courtney shrugged.

"Okay. I guess we could do that. Come on, Jade."Courtney started towards the elevator, she turned to Ryan. "Why don't you stay here? Wait on Damion. As soon as that warrant comes through, I want you to go the Yantes' house. Search for the dress and knives. Okay?"Courtney asked. Ryan nodded.

"Got it Court."he answered, sitting down in an empty chair. Gibbs turned to McGee.

"Go with him, okay? When Detective Yang gets back..."Gibbs spoke. McGee nodded.

"What about you Boss?"he asked. Gibbs looked at him.

"I'm gonna get the interrogation rooms ready... Need them to be good if we want a confession..."Gibbs answered. McGee nodded.

"Understood Boss."


	7. Chapter Six: Interrogation

**Chapter Six: Interrogation**

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything but my own original characters, such as Courtney Hale and her team. Everything and everyone else belongs to CBS, and more specifically, to Bellisarious. Thank you for reading this.**

Detective Hale and Detective Halogen brought Mary Yantes into the interrogation room, having her sit down. Gibbs was waiting for them. Jade and Courtney left for the observation room so Gibbs could work his 'magic'. "Thank you for coming Mrs. Yantes."Gibbs greeted, trying not to let on. Mary snorted.

"Didn't have much of a choice, now did I?"she asked. Gibbs gave a half-smile.

"Not really... However, we just need to ask you a few questions and you can go."he said. She glared.

"If that were so, I wouldn't be in an interrogation room, now would I?"she asked. Gibbs sighed. "Not that simple Mrs. Yantes. So... How far would you go to protect your husband?"he asked. Mary shrugged.

"Pretty far, I guess... He is my husband after all..."she answered. Gibbs nodded.

"Does that include covering up for his murder if he committed one?"he asked. Mary scoffed.

"My husband is a lot of things, Agent Gibbs. But he is not a murderer."she answered.

"I thought he was going to break her..."Courtney spoke to McGee. The younger agent smiled nervously.

"That's part of his process, Detective. He's trying to get her to take the bait, her husband as the killer. Ziva and Tony are interrogating her husband now."McGee answered. Tony walked in.

"Correction Probie. We just finished interrogating him. He didn't do it, he was too devastated by her murder to have done it. He even said that if anyone killed Donna, it was probably his wife."Tony answered. McGee nodded.

"So... Think she'll take the bait then?"Jade asked. Tony shrugged.

"Depends on how strong her will is... How long she can take Gibbs glaring at her and BS-ing her like that..."Tony answered. Damion walked in.

"Got that warrant... Whose going to execute it?"he asked. McGee took the warrant from him.

"Ryan and I got it... Thank you Damion..."McGee said, leaving with Detective Randy. Courtney turned her attention back to the observation screen, to see the interrogation...

"Now... Mary... Your husband was... Having an affair with the deceased... Did you know that?"he asked. She scoffed.

"Of course I knew. That little tramp had the balls to come over, to _MY_ house. I caught her with Walter and demanded an explanation. Of course, he never stopped seeing her, he was just more careful about it."Mary answered, her adrenaline pumping. Gibbs resisted the urge to smirk, realizing he found a sore spot. '_Just keep it up a little, and she'll be singing like a canary..._'Gibbs thought to himself.

"Must've really upset you, knowing you weren't enough for your husband anymore, that you were inadvertently sharing him..."Gibbs started. She glared.

"Yes it upset me. My husband was screwing around with some whore in his unit! There's no telling how many STDs she had, or who all she was sleeping with. It's sickening."Mary spoke. Gibbs looked at her.

"We tested her, to make sure it wasn't something like that that killed her. She was clean, so your husband's safe."Gibbs answered. She rolled her eyes.

"Whatever, are we done here?"she asked. Gibbs shook his head.

"Nope. Where were you the night she was murdered? Between midnight and three?"Gibbs asked. Mary thought for a few moments.

"I was home. Alone."she answered. Gibbs looked at her.

"Anyone able to verify that?"he asked. Mary snorted.

"What part of 'alone' makes you think someone knew I was there? If anyone was with her, it was probably Walter."she asked. Gibbs shrugged.

"I had no idea what I was thinking with that one... What kind of knives do you have in your kitchen?"he asked. She rolled her eyes again.

"I don't know. Butter knives? Butcher knives? Just knives."she said. Gibbs nodded slowly.

"I see..."

"This is going nowhere..."Courtney sighed. McGee walked in.

"It might change now. We found one of Mary's dresses, cut. It's pattern matches that of the cloth Damion found. And we found the knife, a butcher knife, in her kitchen. She tried to clean it up, but there was still a speck of blood on it that Abby found."McGee answered. Courtney nodded.

"Thanks McGee..."she said before walking out of the observation room and into the interrogation room.

Gibbs turned to face the woman who had just walked in. "Yes Detective Hale?"he asked. She paid no attention to him, instead turning to face the woman.

"We have your DNA. We have your ripped dress. We have your bloodied knife. You are going down for murder."Courtney stated. The woman paled slightly.

"I told Walter to get rid of it!"she screamed suddenly, going into a bit of a frenzy. Gibbs grabbed her wrists, mirandizing her and arresting her. He then handed her off to Tony before turning to Courtney.

"Next time you pull a stunt like that with me Detective, warn me."he said. Courtney smirked.

"If there is a next time, I might."she retorted. He chuckled and shook his head, starting towards the door.


	8. Chapter Seven: Endings

**Chapter Seven: Endings**

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything but my own original characters, such as Courtney Hale and her team. Everything and everyone else belongs to CBS, and more specifically, to Bellisarious. Thank you for reading this.**

Gibbs and his team, along with the detectives, were exhausted by the time they finished the paper work for the case. Gibbs turned to his team. "Alright. Go home. The job is finished, time to go."Gibbs spoke, quoting one of his many rules. Everyone started out, going to go home. He watched as Detective Hale almost left. "Hey! Detective! Wait."he called out to her, walking up to her. Courtney turned around.

"Yes?"she asked. He smiled.

"I've been thinkin'... And... I'd really like to see you again sometime... If that's okay with you?"he asked, smiling, hopeful. She smiled.

"Sure. But outside of work. Call me Courtney. That's my name. No Detective."Courtney smirked. Gibbs chuckled.

"Oh really... And here I thought it was."he quipped. She shook her head, smiling.

"So what am I to call you outside of work? Because Agent Gibbs doesn't quite cut if for me... On your card it says L. J Gibbs... What does the L stand for?"she asked. Gibbs smiled.

"Leroy..."he answered. She smiled.

"Then I guess I'm gonna call you Leroy since I prefer calling people by their first names.."she smirked and pulled out her notepad from her pocket, writing her number down and handing him the paper. "My number for when you wanna see me again."she answered. He smiled and wrote his down on her notepad.

"And that's mine. See ya around, Courtney."he saw her off. She smiled.

"Bye, Leroy..."she answered, leaving for her car...


	9. Epilogue

**Epilogue:**

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything but my own original characters, such as Courtney Hale and her team. Everything and everyone else belongs to CBS, and more specifically, to Bellisarious. Thank you for reading this.**

Courtney jabbed at her assailant's shoulder, hitting him. He recoiled, but hit back, getting her in the side. She felt herself fall as he pinned her. She chuckled. "You got better, Kayber. Nice."she commented as he helped her back up. A tall black man walked up to them, clapping.

"Nice job, Justin. Finally managed to pin her after how many years of trying?"the black man teased. Justin Kayber snorted.

"Can it! Both of ya! I worked hard, and it paid off. Besides, I doubt you could, Monty."the blond man retorted. Monty looked at Courtney.

"Eh... He has a point... For once... I absolutely cannot pin you for the life of me."he complained, pouting. Courtney smirked.

"It's because I'm so small. Makes me harder to pin."she commented before her phone rang. She answered it. "Hello?"she asked.

"Hey... I was wondering what you were up to..."she heard a familiar voice say. She smiled.

"Just got done sparring with some of my friends... Why? Got something on your mind?"she asked, smirking. She heard him chuckle and smiled.

"Actually... Yeah... I was wondering if you wanted to meet up somewhere in Baltimore... Maybe catch a bite to eat?"he asked. She smirked.

"Leroy, this your way of asking me on a date?"Courtney asked. She could feel him smile.

"Yeah... What do ya say?"Gibbs asked. She smiled.

"Sure. Meet me at Trusdale Park at 6. There's this nice little cafè nearby, and it has amazing hot chocolate and blueberry pie..."Courtney answered.

"Alright... See you then. Bye."Gibbs spoke. She smiled.

"Goodbye Leroy."she hung up. Kayber and Monty smirked at her.

"Awww... Big- Bad Hale has a boyfriend."Kayber snickered. Monty smirked.

"I bet he's just sooo tall and dark and mysterious. Isn't he?"he remarked, teasing. Courtney rolled her eyes.

"Go ahead. Laugh it up. I can still kick both your tails."she reminded them before leaving...

Gibbs woke up in an unfamiliar place. He knew it was unfamiliar because he felt something, or someone, was sleeping next to him, close beside him. Gibbs opened his eyes, seeing a television screen on, a movie selection screen on it. He realized he was in a living room, but whose? Then it hit him. He and Courtney had went out to that cafè of hers. They hit it off, and she asked him home. He went, they watched a movie... Or at least... They tried to watch a movie considering they both fell asleep.

She was snuggled into him, her head on his chest. He couldn't help but smile, pulling her closer. Gibbs kissed the top of her head, causing her to wake up. She raised her head slightly. "Morning?"she asked. He nodded. She smiled. "Then good morning... Sleep okay?"she asked. Gibbs nodded, smiling.

"More than okay actually... So... When did we fall asleep?"he asked. Courtney shrugged, staying close to him.

"I'm not sure... The last thing I remember is Special Agent Marsh had just found out that the cyber-killer had the helicopter pilot."Courtney answered. Gibbs chuckled.

"You stayed up later than I did, then. Last I remember, he had just kidnapped some poor guy off the streets..."Gibbs recalled. Courtney chuckled and snuggled into him.

"Let's just hope this doesn't happen every time we decide to watch a movie, or we'll never know what happens in any of them."Courtney chuckled. Gibbs smiled and pulled her closer.

"So... As of right now, I am thinking we should spend a lazy day here... Maybe actually finish the movie this time?"he asked. Courtney smiled.

"Works for me, Leroy..."

**A/n: Can anyone guess what movie this is? If so, it is one of the best, in my opinion. :)**


End file.
